Have you ever wondered if you are lifting weights correctly? Do you know when it is time to increase the amount of weight you are lifting to help get the most benefits out of your time at the gym? Many people continue to lift the same amount of weight, even after their bodies have adapted to the movement. This results in wasted time and no visible changes.

When it comes to exercising, even if you have perfect form, the amount of resistance you use with your weights can play a huge factor in your results. If you lift too heavy, you may be putting yourself at risk for injury. If you lift too light, however, you may be falling short of the results that you could accomplish. You don't want to put yourself at risk for injury and have to sit out from the gym for a few weeks while you heal, but at the same time, you don't want to be wasting your time while you are lifting weights at the gym.

Research has shown that most people don't lift as much as they possibly could. Instead, they get used to a lifting regimen and stick with it for a long time, way past the time that their bodies have adjusted to the weight. In order to fix this, research has shown that you can do 20 reps of your exercise with your choice of weights without taking a break. If you can do this easily without pausing or resting, your weights are too light. If you have to slow down after about the 12th rep, you may already be lifting the right amount of weight.

The key is, you won't know your maximum weight until you try. This is not something that you should allow yourself to be in the dark about. If you know how far you can go, it can change both your mental and physical approach to your workout. This can help empower you to push through a workout that you did not previously think you would be able to accomplish.

You can also abide by the "final two reps" rule. This means that the last two reps that you do of each set should be difficult to do, almost approaching technical failure. However, if you can accomplish 20 reps or somewhere close to it without having to stop at all, it is best to increase your weight by 2.5 to 5 pounds when you are working on your upper-body and 5 to 10 pounds when you are working on your lower-body. Once you increase your weight, try to do one set of 20 reps again to see if you need to increase it more.

It is best to choose weights that you can best handle for about 12 reps, otherwise, you may not be getting the strength benefit that you possibly could be. So if you are short on time, which is a common problem, but you still want to see some positive results, make sure to stick to these rules.

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It's summertime and you head outside to exercise, before your session is over, your body feels like it is on fire from the heat. It's not your imagination. Fifteen minutes into your run and your body temperature could be as high as 5° F above normal.

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